Crispy golden fishcakes make a delicious, nutritious family meal. The beauty of fishcakes lies in their adaptability – you can use fresh fish, canned fish, or even leftovers to create a dish that’s uniquely yours. Recipe compliments of Royco.

Cooking time: 35 mins | Preparation time: 15 mins | Serves: 4

Ingredients

•  1 packet Royco® Cheddar Cheese Sauce (38g)
•  250ml (1 cup) rapidly boiling water, to make up the sauce
•  2 potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
•  600g hake, cooked and flaked
•  250ml (1 cup) frozen mixed vegetables, defrosted
•  2 eggs, beaten
•  375 ml (1½ cups) dry breadcrumbs
•  sunflower oil, for frying
•  lemon wedges, to serve

Vegetarian: Replace the fish in this recipe with other veggies of your choice. Sweetcorn, spring onions and grated carrots or baby marrow work well.

Family-friendly: Invite the kids to help with dinner by showing them how to form the mixture into neat patties. Fishcakes are an excellent protein-rich snack for children: how about making a double batch so you can pop some leftovers into lunch boxes the next day?

Method

1. Prepare the Royco® Cheddar Cheese Sauce with boiling water as per the instructions on the pack. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the mashed potato, flaked hake and thawed mixed vegetables. Add half of the prepared Royco® Cheddar Cheese Sauce and stir gently to combine.
3. Form the mixture into patties. Dip each patty first into beaten egg, and then into the breadcrumbs, making sure they are well coated on all sides. Place the patties in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up.
4. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the fishcakes on both sides until golden brown and heated right through.
5. Drain the patties on paper towels. Gently reheat the remaining cheese sauce and serve the fishcakes hot with lemon wedges and the cheese sauce on the side.